Ever since we drove by its humble location in a strip mall, I’ve been dying to try YAK The Kathmandu Kitchen. We’ve always managed to “forget” about the restaurant when deciding where to dine out, but after reading this article about their upcoming expansion, I decided right then and there that we would finally try them out this past Friday night.

[source]

I sure am glad we did!

The restaurant interior is fairly open and airy, and it had a comfortable feel to it. They definitely could use some new booth seats (my 31 extra pounds of belly and I immediately sunk into a giant hole), though we switched to a table and chairs shortly after I managed to climb up.

Before we ordered our meal, the server brought out a type of crispy flatbread that reminded me of a sesame seed cracker. It was peppery and salty—I forgot to ask what it’s called—and served with what I gathered to be coriander chutney and tamarind chutney (though I’m not sure).

Whatever the bread/sauces were, they definitely had a spicy kick to them!

After asking our server for recommendations (everything sounded delicious!), we decided to share an appetizer of traditional Nepali momo, a dumpling that can be filled with vegetables, chicken, or other meat (we chose chicken). They came with fantastic dipping sauce made from tomato, garlic, and seasonings.

We opted for the traditional steamed version, although the dumplings also come fried.

Since we weren’t sure of the portion sizes, we decided to share an entrée of traditional Nepali thali (they also had an Indian version) and an order of garlic naan.

We chose lamb for our protein (there are vegetarian and multiple meat options) and our multi-course platter of food came out on a large metal tray.

Everything was full of flavor—and the “medium” (as opposed to “mild” or “spicy”) level was perfect for our palettes (and we tend to enjoy spicy foods).

The selections included (clockwise): basmati rice, steamed mustard greens, dal (a soup of lentils, vegetables, and spices), gundruk (a fermented leafy green vegetable mixed with tomato, onion, cilantro, and other seasonings), and lamb curry. The lamb was incredibly tender (I could’ve made a meal of it and the rice), and I enjoyed the tanginess of the gundruk. While the mustard greens were a little bland (possibly due to the spice of everything else), the dal was quite satisfying.

In the center of the platter was a “salad,” which really only consisted of a piece of lettuce and two cucumber slices (the cucumber was actually pretty refreshing with all the heavy spices). The small dish at the top was a dessert, which seemed like a lightly sweetened, chilled pudding with shredded coconut in it. Not “dessert” by my indulgent Western standards, but it was nice to end the meal on a sweeter, if not quite watery, note.

The naan was also fantastic, but I do wish the garlic had been roasted beforehand. It was almost raw and quite pungent—even for extreme garlic lovers like us!

All in all, the food was delicious, and it’s obvious (to me) why the restaurant won “best ethnic food” the last 2 years in a local publication.

Pricing was very reasonable, and you receive a lot of food for your purchase. I’m anxious to return—maybe to try some of the Indian dishes or their lunchtime buffet. Although you won’t find actual yak on the menu, YAK The Kathmandu Kitchen is well worth a visit.